日本語表示
PRONUNCIATION: BASIC SOUNDS
The F Sound and the H Sound
/f/ and /h/

GOAL

I can make the F sound and the H sound.

TRY IT!

Read the sentence below.

Did you and Finn have fun in Hong Kong?

SOUNDS

Learn how to pronounce today's sounds.
Sound Profile

/f/

Voicing

no

Mouth

slightly open

Lips

Teeth

the top front teeth touching the inside lower lip

Tongue

Jaw

Steps

  1. Slightly open your mouth.

  2. Put your top front teeth gently on your inside lower lip.

  3. Exhale.

Katakana Otoshiana

Because there is no perfect match for the F sound in Japanese, many English words with that sound are written with h (フ) in katakana.

 

coffee ➡ koohii (コーヒー)

smartphone ➡ sumaho (スマホ)

platform ➡ hoomu (ホーム) ※駅のホーム

 

Be careful to make them the F sound in English!

/h/

Voicing

no

Mouth

open

Lips

Teeth

Tongue

Jaw

slightly down

Steps

  1. Open your mouth.

  2. Exhale.

Katakana Otoshiana

The H sound in English is often stressed a bit more than the katakana h (フ) sound.

 

hello ➡ harou (ハロー)

heart ➡ haato (ハート)

hamburger ➡ hanbaagaa (ハンバーガー)

 

Be careful to make it sound stronger in English.

Steps

  1. Slightly open your mouth.

  2. Put your top front teeth gently on your inside lower lip.

  3. Exhale.

Steps

  1. Open your mouth.

  2. Exhale.

Katakana Otoshiana

Because there is no perfect match for the F sound in Japanese, many English words with that sound are written with h (フ) in katakana.

 

coffee ➡ koohii (コーヒー)

smartphone ➡ sumaho (スマホ)

platform ➡ hoomu (ホーム) ※駅のホーム

 

Be careful to make them the F sound in English!

Katakana Otoshiana

The H sound in English is often stressed a bit more than the katakana h (フ) sound.

 

hello ➡ harou (ハロー)

heart ➡ haato (ハート)

hamburger ➡ hanbaagaa (ハンバーガー)

 

Be careful to make it sound stronger in English.

WORDS

Practice today’s sounds in the words below.

/f/

fish

feet

food

fat

fifteen

phone

/h/

house

hat

hot

head

high

heel

SENTENCES

Practice today’s sounds in the sentences below.

/f/

  1. Sofia feels fine.
  2. The fat man eats fast food often.
  3. Frank ate fish for dinner.
  4. Faye took photos at the fire festival.
  5. The chef talked on the phone for fifteen minutes.

/h/

  1. It’s hot outside, so I need a hat.
  2. Haylee’s husband bought his mom a new house.
  3. Heidi named her pet hamster Holly.
  4. Hannah loves red high heel shoes.
  5. He hiked up the highest mountain in Hong Kong.

/f/ + /h/

  1. Hugo’s wife puts honey in her coffee.
  2. Frank had fun at the Hungry Hearts Café.
  3. Faye’s head feels heavy.
  4. We have four fat hamsters at home.
  5. Harry’s friend is still fit and handsome at fifty years old.

DIALOGUES

Practice today’s sounds in the dialogues below.

/f/

Student:

Let’s go to the café for coffee.
Tutor:

Sure. But we can only take a break for fifteen minutes.
Student:

Oh, yeah! We need to meet with Mr. Fitz at the main office at four o’clock.
Tutor:

Right. Then, I need to talk to Sofia about the office party at five o’clock.
Student:

Okay. Let’s just get some food and coffee for five minutes and then go back.

/h/

Student:

Hey, Hannah! Who is that girl standing by your house?
Tutor:

Oh, that’s Heidi! She’s my husband’s cousin. She’s staying here with us.
Student:

How long will she stay here in Hollywood?
Tutor:

Three weeks. I’m sure you’ll like her. She likes hamsters and horses just like you!
Student:

Cool! Please introduce me to Heidi. I hope we can be friends.

/f/ + /h/

Student:

Did you and Finn have fun in Hong Kong?
Tutor:

Yes. The Lantern Festival was great! We took a lot of beautiful photos. The food was great too.
Student:

I’m happy to hear that. I wish Felix and I could go on holiday too. He’s always at the office.
Tutor:

Yeah. Tell him to relax sometimes. You two should go to the beach for four or five days.
Student:

That would be wonderful! I’ll ask him to fix his work schedule. I want to feel the sand on my feet.

TRY IT AGAIN!

Reread the sentence below.

Did you and Finn have fun in Hong Kong?